Democrats invest, organize to flip Gulfport’s mayor seat blue

• In the most hotly contested municipal race in Mississippi, both political parties are bringing in state and national figures to back their nominees.

Democrat leaders from across the Deep South are coalescing to flip a Republican-held mayor’s seat on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and there is reason for them to be hopeful.

Dirt Road Democrats, a political action committee initially launched by former Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison after his failed bid for the U.S. Senate in South Carolina, is making a play for the open Gulfport mayor’s seat by supporting Sonya Williams Barnes.

The group, rebooted in 2024 with the help of former gubernatorial candidates Brandon Presley from Mississippi and Chris Jones in Arkansas, both of whom lost their bids for office, focuses on flipping red seats in red, rural states.

A mailer sent by Dirt Road Democrats to Gulfport residents in support of Williams Barnes argued, “For too long, Gulfport has been controlled by the same special interest groups. We can make a new way if we all work as one.”

The mailer also points to Williams Barnes’ support for clean energy, accountability for corporations, and safe communities.

Dirt Road Democrats PAC is not the only player putting weight behind Williams Barnes. Stacey Abrams, who built national notoriety through two failed bids for the Georgia Governor’s Mansion, is also in the mix. Abrams, who grew up in Gulfport, endorsed Williams Barnes and made a financial contribution to her campaign.

Presley’s separate “Save Our State PAC” backed Williams Barnes’ candidacy with a $10,000 contribution.

Williams Barnes, who won over 84 percent of the vote in Gulfport’s Democratic Primary, pulled in 3,316 votes. Multiple Republican sources have expressed concern with the strength of the turnout in the Democratic Primary.

Republican candidate Hugh Keating ran unopposed in the Party’s primary. However, in 2021 outgoing Republican Mayor Billy Hewes won the general election with only 2,680 votes – roughly 600 less than Williams Barnes drew in her primary contest.

With his departure and Williams Barnes strong showing in the primary, Democrats see the seat as winnable.

In recent weeks, the Mississippi Republican Party has stepped up its efforts, bringing in high profile figures of its own in an effort to raise awareness of the race and drive voter turnout.

On Thursday, the state Republican Party announced that South Carolina U.S. Senator Tim Scott would be headlining a rally next week “to keep Gulfport Conservative.”

Keating’s campaign also rolled out various endorsements from key Republican leaders such as former Governor Haley Barbour, Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson, several state senators, along with various notable community and business leaders.

In a commercial cut for Keating, Barbour said, “After Hurricane Katrina, there was a lot of work to do. That’s why I asked community leaders to be part of the Commission on Recover, Rebuilding and Renewal, to make the Coast better than ever. Hugh Keating was a big part of that effort.”

Barbour said Keating has a proven record of helping Gulfport grow and succeed.

As previously reported, Mississippi’s second largest city will elect a new mayor on June 3, ending a three-term run for Billy Hewes who has been at the helm of the Coast city since 2013. Hewes, a Republican, announced in May 2024 that he would not be seeking re-election, and has thrown his support behind Keating.

READ MORE: Keating, Williams Barnes vying to be next Mayor of Gulfport

Keating, an attorney at Dukes, Keating, Hatten, McRaney and Blum, previously served as President of the Mississippi Bar. He’s also served as Vice-President of the Gulfport Redevelopment Commission, President of the Mississippi Coast Crime Commission, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Leadership Gulf Coast.

His Democratic opponent, Williams Barnes, is the owner and Vice President of Lockett-Williams Mortuary. Keating supporters have raised questions about her operation of the business, which until April of this year faced tax liens dating back to 2022 totaling over $60,000.

Williams Barnes previously served in the House of Representatives for 10 years, before she resigned in 2022 to become the Policy Director for the Southern Poverty Law Center. SPLC’s PAC has also endorsed her mayoral campaign.

While in the Legislature, Williams Barnes chaired the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus, which allowed her to pick up endorsements from prominent state Democrats in both chambers for her mayoral bid.